


Caged

by AloneShadow



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Drowning, Hurt Jim, Hurt/Comfort, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy Friendship, Missions Gone Wrong, Mouth-to-Mouth, Protective Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26790109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AloneShadow/pseuds/AloneShadow
Summary: "He’s not gonna make it.That was Leonard’s cold, rational voice speaking- the same voice that used to guide him while trying to save someone's life on the operating table..."
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948396
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	Caged

**Author's Note:**

> Second story for the Whumptober 2020 event.
> 
> Prompts used: N 4, Caged / N 5, Rescue.

“It’s gonna be alright. We’ll get you out soon.” Leonard panted, kneeling down.

“I know…”

“Spock is working on it. He’s gonna stop this thing and then we’ll get you out.” 

Jim nodded again: the cage he was trapped into hasn’t stopped its descent yet, and the water at the bottom of the large well was getting closer. It took his crew a whole day to find him, and they all knew the enemies weren’t going to simply let their precious hostage go… As soon as Spock and Leonard reached him, the cage started moving down into the darkness, and a moment later Leonard followed it, jumping on top of it. 

Jim wanted to be angry, but didn’t have the heart to scold him: he was expecting no less from Leonard- and the Doctor was free, anyway, so, even in the worst scenario, he would have been rescued. 

“This- stupid thing won’t- break!” Leonard complained, pulling and kicking the chain that was supporting the cage. 

“And I’d keep it that way,” Jim commented looking at the water beneath his feet. 

“I just need to block it…” Leonard looked around and then grabbed his tricorder and put it into the mechanism- that just destroyed the device into pieces. 

“Bones-“ Jim complained, raising a hand to get cover from the debris. “That thing won’t do anything!” 

“Yeah, I noticed,” Leonard barked looking down, and his expression got darker. 

Jim felt the water touching his feet before following his gaze. “Well, this might be a problem…” 

“Spock, what are you doing up there?!” Leonard yelled into his earpiece. 

Jim had lost his own, so he could only hope for good news. 

“Then do it! We’re reaching the bottom here!” Leonard cut shot and looked back down at him. 

Jim sighed, trying to smile. “Have some faith, Bones.” 

“That expired years ago, along with my hopes and dreams.” 

“Someone is in a bad mood…” 

“The entire situation is bad!” 

“We’ve gone through worse...” Jim flinched when the water splashed against his knees. 

“Just, shut up and Jump.” 

Looking up, he found Leonard stretching both arms towards him, through the metal bars. Jim nodded and obeyed. “I should have- hit the gym more often lately,” he laughed pulling himself up, hanging from the bars, suspended above the water that kept rising. 

“Guess who actually told you to do that?” 

“You should have forced me.” 

“If you’re saying that it’s my fault-“ 

“I'm not... I won't. Sorry,” Jim stopped him, holding onto the bars as strong as he could.

Leonard looked up, cursing at everything that led them into that situation. When a hand touched his leg, he turned to his Captain. 

“If this thing doesn’t stop-“ 

“It will.” 

“But if it doesn’t, don’t do anything stupid, alright?” Jim told him. “Spock and the others might need help.” 

“Jim, you’re not going to die in here.” 

“I’m just saying _if_ something happens-“ 

“Not under my watch.” 

Jim sighed, laughing a bit. It was always like that with Bones… There was no way to change his mind.

As the water reached his knees again, Jim started taking deep breaths. 

“Why is it taking so long to stop this thing?” Leonard murmured, still looking around, hoping to notice something he missed before. 

“There were a lot of people in the building,” Jim said, shivering as the water started creeping on his hips. 

Leonard stared at him and then grabbed him by his yellow uniform. 

Jim could see the Doctor was seriously worried now. “I think... I can resist for a while.” 

“We’ll get you out.” 

“I know.” 

“Don’t you think even for a second that I’m leaving you down here.” 

“I kind of hope you will if… You know…” 

Leonard grip tightened when the water reached Jim’s shoulders, and also his hand holding the shirt: Leonard realized it was ice cold. “We’re not leaving you.” 

Jim nodded, keeping his eyes on him, taking long, deep breaths. 

“Just try to stay calm. It’s just a matter of time before Spock stops this cage, so don’t-“ Leonard’s heart sank watching his Captain shut his eyes and take one last deep breath as the water reached his face and quickly covered the Captain completely. Gritting his teeth, Leonard lay down completely on top of the cage, on his stomach, to have a better grip on him with both hands. When the water reached Leonard's chin and he was ready to hold his breath, the cage finally stopped moving. 

Breathing fast, Leonard looked up and then down again, “It stopped- Jim, the cage has stopped!” he said pulling on his uniform. Leonard could see his blonde hair slowly moving beneath the water's surface, and then Jim’s hands started moving, grasping on his arm. “I know, I'm here- Hold on a little longer!” 

Leonard was an experienced doctor. He has seen and done things that would have made other people faint in a second… There were a very few things that could scare him at that point, and one of them was watching a friend- his own Captain- struggling to breathe, drowning few centimeters away from the surface. “Jim, hold on- just hold on!” he kept saying, but he knew the limit of a human body, and James Kirk was no exception to that. 

_He’s not gonna make it._ That was Leonard’s cold, rational voice speaking- the same voice that used to guide him while trying to save someone's life on the operating table. 

As soon as he started to feel Jim’s grasp weakening, he took a deep breath and buried his face into the water: holding Jim with a hand and moving the other on the back of his head, Leonard pulled him as close and up as possible to share oxygen, mouth to mouth. Luckily, there was just enough space between the bars to allow him to do that.

Leonard raised his head to take another breath, and then down again to repeat the process. _I’m not letting him die here- not in front of me. Not like this._

He kept bringing Jim oxygen five, six more times, then Leonard stopped counting, starting to feel dizzy- and then, he felt the cage moving. After a moment of pure terror, worried it might be going further down, the cage started to rise up. 

Panting, Leonard finally saw Jim's face emerging above the water. “Jim? Jim!” Leonard called, pulling on his uniform. “I swear, if you- WAKE UP!” 

Jim suddenly gasped and then started coughing, grasping on the doctor’s arms for dear life. 

“It’s ok- you’re ok! Spock made it!” Leonard reassured him. 

Jim looked up at him and nodded slightly before passing out. 

Leonard instantly grabbed him, to not let him fall back into the water. “It’s alright… You’re safe…” He kept saying while holding him close, through the bars, letting the water wash the tears away.


End file.
